The Best Cure
by Naiya Kokoro
Summary: Kagome has had enough. In the heat of the moment, she leaves behind the things she cherishes most in both worlds, swearing to become stronger and heal herself. Can she ever find love again, or will she lose herself to the struggle of identity?
1. Chapter 1

**The Best Cure**

by Naiya Kokoro

**Chapter One**

_Omoidasu_

**Disclaimer:** No, I do not own Inuyasha.

"_Oh, a wounded heart, eh? Well the best cure for that is vengeance."_

Kagome scolded herself for remembering those words, his words, Inuyasha's words. He had spoken them to Miroku about losing one's home, but what about losing one's heart?

She had returned from her time early to surprise Inuyasha and continue their shard hunting on a good note. She had even brought extra ramen, but upon her return everyone but Inuyasha was at Kaede's village.

**Flashback **

Kagome made her way to the village from the well in twenty minutes, a record time. She attributed it to all of the demons she had been fighting, but in reality she was anxious to see Inuyasha. When she reached Kaede's hut, she heard someone, most likely Miroku, mention her name. Not wanting the conversation to end and be left out of whatever was going on, Kagome decided to eavesdrop.

"It's been three hours," she heard Shippo whine. "Inuyasha's never away for this long before. Kagome's supposed to come back tomorrow, and he'd better be here for her sake."

_Gone? Gone where? Where's Inuyasha?_ Kagome thought.

"One of us should have followed him. We don't know what Inuyasha is up to when he disappears like this," Sango pointed out.

_This has happened before?_

"Well you may not, but I do," Shippo said.

"You do?" Miroku asked.

"Don't forget, I am a demon. And unless Urasue made a hobby of resurrecting priestesses, Inuyasha's probably with Kikyo as we speak."

_Kikyo?!_

"Only..." Shippo began.

"What?" The adults asked out loud, and Kagome in her head. Her palms were sweaty and her bag was threatening to slip out of her hand. If it fell, she was busted, but she paid no attention to it. In her mind, Inuyasha was more important than anything.

"The way he smells when he returns, it's...funny. It reminds me of when my parents would send me away to go play on a nearby hill for an hour or two. Also, my mom would giggle a lot afterwards and she'd make a special dinner. I miss those..." he trailed off dreamily.

Kagome's felt her heart freeze, stop beating, and drop to the pits of her stomach. She heard it shatter into a million pieces as if it were a glass statue. In her mind, she could see it on a pedestal, with Inuyasha behind it, pushing it off.

"I wonder how Kagome would feel if she knew," Miroku added quietly.

"Me too," said Sango.

"Well, there's no need to." Kagome stepped into the hut, making her presence known. "I know. I heard everything. You don't have to wonder how I feel, I'll tell you. I feel horrible. Like shit, actually. I don't want you to feel bad for me, no matter what the reason may be. I am not going to go home and never come back for fear of facing Inuyasha, either."

At this, Shippo's face lit up. His surrogate mother was staying with him! In his excitement, he forgot the situation of things until he looked up and saw Kagome's empty eyes. She saw him, and knew what he was thinking. "I'm sorry, Shippo, but I said I would stay in the feudal era. That doesn't mean I'll stay **here.** Honestly, I don't think I can. I'm going out on my own to find the shards. Who knows? Maybe I'll accept Kouga's offer. At least I know he means it when he says he cares for me."

Sango was silently crying, and Miroku had his staff tightly gripped in his hand. Shippo was curled in Kaede's lap, who was the only one still able to bear looking at Kagome. "Maybe I'll come back one day," she continued. "Maybe...when I have almost all of the jewel shards. I'll come back for all of you. I won't be able to defeat Naraku on my own and I know I you all want a hand in his death. You all deserve it. Maybe I'll even be able to come back and forgive Inuyasha..." She shook her head. "No...I won't. As long as I love Inuyasha, I'll never be able to forgive him..."

She dropped her bag in the middle of the hut. "I brought back some treats for you guys. Take them. I don't need the bag anymore. All I ask is to borrow your horse, Kaede. That and, under no circumstances, are you to let Inuyasha come after me."

Without waiting for a reaction, Kagome left. Behind her was the second family she had come to cherish more than her biological one.

And she had no intention of returning to it.

**End Flashback**

Now Kagome was on her own, with nothing but a school uniform that was barely keeping her warm. She dearly wished for some nice, hot food, but her bag was at the hut. She couldn't return to get it, it was in her past. Even if she had wanted to go back to Inuyasha, she was lost.

She continued walking until even the sun went down and it was impossible for Kagome to see more than a foot in front of her. To exhausted to draw on her miko powers and continue, she dropped to the ground where she was, cutting her hand on a rock.

"Ow!" she pressed her hand to her shirt to stop the bleeding. "Stupid rock, she mumbled." While nursing her hand Kagome failed to notice that her hair and clothes were quickly becoming wet. Not until she heard a thunderclap did she even look up.

"Oh, great, what now?" She pulled herself as close to the tree as she could, almost hugging it as she lay in the mud. As she felt a worm somewhere around her ribs trying to escape drowning underground, 

she thought of her family, both of them. She thought of not being able to see her mother, her grandpa, and Souta for a long time. She thought of abandoning Shippo because he reminded her of Inuyasha. And, of course, she thought of Inuyasha himself.

She imagined she was somewhere warm and safe, hugging the Inuyasha instead of the tree. She said to the tree, "Inuyasha, I know you can't hear me, but I want you to know I won't always hate you. I don't hate you now, actually. Please don't forget me, because I will always remember you, Inuyasha."

* * *

Inuyasha jumped from tree to tree, following the soul stealers that threatened to get away from him. The branches underneath scratched and tore at his latest injuries, courtesy of Naraku. He paid it little attention, though. Kikyo was waiting for him.

He found her at a small clearing. They weren't as far from the village as they usually were, and he could see the Goshinboku in the distance. Instantly, his thoughts drifted to Kagome. _She should be coming back soon, I can't stay long..._

Kikyo made no move to approach Inuyasha, simply holding out her arms for she knew he would come to her. He did, wrapping his arms around her and pinning her against a tree. Her hands reached out to untie his hakama, but he pushed them away.

"Kikyo, do you love me?"

She froze, unsure of how to answer. She couldn't very well admit that she had no emotional attachment to him whatsoever, could she? She searched her mind for a good answer, but Inuyasha sensed her delay. He tightened his hands around her and continued.

"I know you are going to say yes, but what I really want to know is how much. If Naraku were to attack me this very instant, would you help and defend me no matter what? Would you take care of my wounds, like this one?" He pointed to his bandaged stomach. "Like Kagome does?"

_Kagome!_ Kikyo snarled to herself. Of course her reincarnation had something to do with this. "Inuyasha," she began. "Why are you doing this? We only get to see each other once every two or three weeks, sometimes even less. Why bring thoughts of that girl into the little precious time we have? Can't we just enjoy it?" Her fingers resumed untying his hakama. "Please?"

Inuyasha sighed. Looking down at the woman before him, he knew he was in love. Kikyo was the one for him, and that was that. _I just hope Kagome isn't too hurt..._

Hours later, Inuyasha returned to the village. He could smell stew coming from Kaede's hut and it made his stomach growl. After seeing Kikyo, he was always hungry.

When he got to the hut, everyone was still awake even though it was the middle of the night. They were all staring at him, with sad expressions on their faces. Sango's face was red and blotchy, as if she had been crying.

"What?" Inuyasha asked. "Who died?"

At first, no one said anything. And then, "Inuyasha, you idiot! How could you even think about betraying us like that, betraying Kagome? You're such a heartless jerk!" Shippo broke down crying for the second time.

Inuyasha looked confused. "What the hell are you going on about, runt?" He grabbed Shippo by the tail. "I didn't betray anyone! And who the hell are you calling a jerk?! I oughta-"

"Inuyasha, that is enough," Kaede interrupted. "Release Shippo now." He dropped him. Kaede continued. "Where have ye been, Inuyasha?"

He crossed his arms. "I don't think that's any of your business, you old hag!"

Miroku grunted. Sango began petting Kirara, trying to keep her hands busy. An ass he was, but Inuyasha was a good partner in battle and she didn't want to attack him just that minute.

"We know you were with Kikyo," Shippo said. "Kagome does, too. She left us, Inuyasha, and it's all your fault."

_Kagome?!_ Alarms went off in Inuyasha's head. "You're lying. Kagome comes back tomorrow. Besides, she would never leave me."

"Oh really?" Shippo pointed at Kagome's bag, sitting in a corner of the hut. "Then just what is that doing there, Inuyasha? Huh?"

He couldn't answer. "Well, I...uh...I don't know, ok?!"

"Just face it, Inuyasha! You know Kagome is gone! And you made her leave!"

"Well what do you want me to do about it?!"

"GO FIND HER!"

"Actually," Miroku cut in, "That might not be the best thing to do. If Inuyasha is indeed why she left, then I doubt Inuyasha will be able to bring Kagome back." Inuyasha huffed and crossed his arms. Rolling his eyes, Miroku continued. "Sango and I will go look for her, with Kirara. I think we should go now."

He stood up and left the hut. Sango followed behind with Kirara on her shoulder. Inuyasha remained in the hut, pacing back and forth and muttering things to himself. Kaede and Shippo went to bed, not paying him any attention.

An hour later, Inuyasha was still pacing. The hunter and the lech hadn't come back yet, and there was still no sign of Kagome. Her scent was still in the air, but faintly.

"That's it." Inuyasha whispered to himself. "That's it!"

He dashed out of the hut, almost trampling some poor woman to her death. Leaving her to collect the laundry she'd dropped, which was now dirty again, he hopped into the nearest tree, following Kagome's scent. He had to move quickly, because it was fading fast.

He lost the scent about three miles away from the village. Kagome was now out of his reach. He hadn't meant to lose her, but Kikyo was his one true love, right? He had to go see her...

But Kagome was his best friend, the first one in a long time to see him for who he was, not what his parents were...his heart ached at the thought that he'd broken hers.

He looked up in the sky. The stars reminded him of how Kagome's eyes would sparkle when she smiled at him.

"Kagome," he said to them, "I know you can't hear me. I want you to know that I did love you, but in the way that I love Sango and Shippo and Miroku. You were, you _are_ my family, and I hope one day you can forgive me. If you never come back, just do me one favor. I shouldn't ask, but please don't forget me Kagome, because I'll always remember you."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I just wanna say thank you to my reviewers, and all the people who didn't review, but still added it to their favorites. That means so much to me, you have no idea. To Jeweled Fairy, yes, she decided not to take the horse. She should've, though… And that's actually a good idea, what you suggested for the plot. I might just do that… Anyways…on with the story!

**The Best Cure**

By Naiya Kokoro

**Chapter Two**

Sesshoumaru was sleeping. Sesshoumaru never slept. A taiyoukai did not need to sleep, they were just that powerful. In Sesshoumaru's mind, calling it sleep was misleading. He preferred to call it prolonged meditation. But this meditation was intended to be a peaceful exploration of the mind…

"_Sesshoumaru! Sesshoumaru!" Where was she? She sounded so near, yet he couldn't find her… He was getting worried. If they found her before he did… No… He couldn't think about that. Thinking such thoughts was admitting defeat, and as his father had told him so many times, a taiyoukai of the west did not admit defeat. Ever._

_He continued down the hall. The fire was spreading, and his armor was heating up fast. And she was still hurt, still weak… He knew she wouldn't last long._

_Finally, he found her, in the very last room. She was sprawled out on the bed; her pale rose cheongsam was spattered with dirt and blood. Her eyes were distant, and clouded, staring straight ahead of her._

"_Sesshoumaru…" Her voice was barely a whisper, even to his ears. She was fading fast._

"_Sesshoumaru…" He took a step closer. His mouth and throat were dry from the heat of the fire that was quickly spreading. The smell of burning wood assaulted his nose, but he wouldn't go for fresh air, not while she was here._

_She called out to him a third time. Her left hand clenched and unclenched slightly. She was reaching out for him. He knew it._

_He tried to go to her, but his foot was stuck. Looking down, he saw the floor melting, sucking him into the depths of hell with the house. No matter what he did, his demon strength was no match, and he was forced to watch as she waited for him to save her. But he would never come…_

_Slowly, her head turned towards him. Her eyes, now focused, were looking directly at him. She never said anything, just stared at him as he continued to be sucked in. A burning beam fell from the ceiling and landed on her back with a sickening crack that Sesshoumaru felt in his own spine. His efforts to pull free increased, but it was to no avail. He was neck deep now, mouth deep, nose deep, and now he couldn't breathe. The last thing he heard before it closed over his head was…_

"_Sesshoumaru…save me…"_

* * *

The taiyoukai known as Sesshoumaru awoke with a start. Quickly, his amber eyes scanned the room to ensure no one was watching him. If word got out that the great Lord Sesshoumaru had nightmares, there'd be no telling how fast the other lords would attempt to invade his mind, and through it, his lands.

He ran a hand through his silver bangs and sighed. For a month, he'd been plagued with dreams of… her. He couldn't understand why, either. She'd been dead for almost 150 years. He really needed to forget her.

But could he?

* * *

When Kagome woke up, the sunlight was streaming through the leaves and onto her face. Opening her eyes, she saw that it made the leaves almost look translucent, like emeralds that someone had fastened onto the tree. The birds were singing, and there was no demonic aura for miles. In all, it was a typical morning after a storm.

Or, it should have been. Kagome's left side was caked in mud from when she had slept during the storm. Both of her hands were numb from supporting the weight of her head all night. She could feel insects crawling on her legs, and mosquitoes were buzzing around her face. Inside her mouth was that horrible morning breath feeling. Usually, she'd rinse with a bottle of mouthwash from her time, but she didn't have her bag. And, worst of all, she was starting to get cramps. Her period was coming soon.

Straightening her uniform a bit, she stood and headed in the same general direction she had been traveling in the night before. Truthfully, she really did not know where she was going, or even where she wanted to go. She just planned to wander around, and she figured she'd stumble upon it eventually.

And if not, well, she could always go home…right?

* * *

Sesshoumaru sat at the head of a long wooden table, an elaborate meal in front of him. To his right, the Lord of the South was reciting a long list of the most recent damages sustained. A small band of mercenaries from both lands were wreaking havoc on villages located along the border. In his pursuit of Naraku, Sesshoumaru simply did not have the time to deal with these things. Three months before, he had given the Southern Lord's armies permission to cross his borders in pursuit of these mercenaries with hopes he'd be competent enough to catch the nuisances.

Apparently, he had been wrong.

The Southern Lord looked up from his list and frowned. "Sesshoumaru, are you listening? This is becoming a serious problem. Four villages have been attacked in the past week. Four!"

Sesshoumaru sighed. "Daitaro, I am perfectly aware of everything you are reading from that paper. I have already given your armies permission to cross my borders. You assured me that you would be able to handle them, did you not?"

Daitaro shuffled his papers until he found one towards the back of the list, and threw it at Sesshoumaru. "That was before. While you were away on your latest chase after those two hanyou, Keiji was killed. Maro has taken over, and my scouts report that he is planning an invasion. I have moved all of my troops to our northern border to prepare for such an attack."

Daitaro had Sesshoumaru's full attention now. Sesshoumaru's scouts were the best in the land, specially trained by his best generals. Some of them possessed the gift of clairvoyance. Knowing of events before the other three taiyoukai had always been what made Sesshoumaru's army the most feared, so much that the other taiyoukai would not dare declare war on him. _Why hadn't he known this?_

***Flashback***

Sesshoumaru's bedroom was dark, except for a small lamp that burned dimly in a corner. Armorless and shirtless, he sat Indian-style in the center of his circular bed, surrounded by Tōkijin on his left side, Tenseiga on the other. The two swords were angled so that had the blades been extended, they would have met at Sesshoumaru's feet. His eyes were closed, and his hands were on his knees, palms down. The air was deathly still. Not even a bird chirped outside, as if Sesshoumaru himself had commanded the world into silence. Not even his chest moved while he breathed. To anyone looking in on the room, he would have appeared to be a statue, crafted from the finest Chinese porcelain.

He remained like this for hours without interruption. Serene as he looked on the outside, in his mind he was sorting through a troubling dream he'd had the night before. His mind had been invaded with thoughts of her, and he didn't understand why. She had been gone for over a century, and had not crossed his mind in almost an equal amount of time. _So why now?_

Shortly before dawn, he'd been brought out of his contemplating by a knock on his door. Lazily, one golden eye cracked open, but Sesshoumaru did nothing more. Ten more minutes passed, and then another knock followed.

"Lord Sesshoumaru?" A voice on the other side inquired.

"I thought the entire staff was instructed that I was not to be disturbed before dawn tonight, soldiers included," he said, half to himself.

"I understand that, sir," the voice apologized. "But our scouts have brought something to my attention that I felt you would need to be notified of immediately."

The other eye opened, but Sesshoumaru did not respond.

"Sir?" the voice asked.

"Which of the scouts has reported this urgent news?" he said conversationally.

"Amarante, sir."

Amarante, one of Sesshoumaru's clairvoyant scouts. She was one of his best fighters, as the last part of her training had been overseen by Sesshoumaru himself. Gossip among the other nobles was that Sesshoumaru considered her his top pick for a mate. Her predictions did not come as often as others' but they were always the most accurate. The generals might have seen this as urgent, but Sesshoumaru knew for a fact that her predictions were always made at least two weeks before the prophesized event.

"My orders still stand," Sesshoumaru said at last. "Come see me in the morning, after I have completed my morning ritual. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir."

***End Flashback***

Now that Sesshoumaru looked back, he heard nothing more of Amarante's prediction after that event. Whoever the messenger was had probably been scared away for good.

"Is there something wrong, Sesshoumaru?" Daitaro asked after swallowing a piece of futomaki. "You seem troubled by something, and I fear that whatever it is, it is beginning to affect your duties as a taiyoukai."

Sesshoumaru simply ate a piece of meat without responding. _If you only knew,_ he thought.

* * *

Kagome had been completely, totally, one hundred percent wrong. Traveling alone was extremely boring. And it was hard. Very hard. Back when she had been traveling with Inuyasha, he and Miroku would catch all of their food, but Inuyasha and Miroku were no longer around, and it sucked.

"Just great, Kagome," she told herself. "You've condemned yourself to die of starvation. What a lovely job. Out in the forest, alone, no food, no weapons, no nothing." She stopped and sighed. Rubbing her arms through her thin uniform, she noticed it was getting cold. _Well it is early fall,_ she thought. Right around this time, back home, the leaves would have just started to fall off of the trees… She and Souta would be piling them up and then jumping in while Mother stood nearby and laughed… She wondered what they were doing at this moment.

_They don't even know that I won't be going home for a long time…_

She kept walking until she found a small stream, then turned and followed that. _This way, I'll always have water. Who knows, if I'm lucky, there are even some fish in there._ Her thoughts once again drifted to her family. Kagome knew that would be the hardest part of her journey, for her family was the most important thing in the world to her. And knowing Inuyasha, he wouldn't have bothered to go explain to Mother what had happened, anyway.

_That would be a nice conversation between him and mom,_ she thought. _"Hello Mrs. Higurashi, no, Kagome's not with me. She ran off because I couldn't keep my hands off of a dead clay bitch named Kikyo. No, I don't know where she went. But don't worry, she has to come back. She has to purify the jewel once I slay Naraku."_

The jewel! Kagome frantically reached for the chain around her neck and gasped. She still had it! This was…what was this? A blessing or a curse? On one hand, it meant she had to cross paths with her friends again someday; eventually it would lead them all to Naraku. On the other hand, it would lead her to Naraku. And any other power-hungry demon she met along the way. Out in the forest. Alone.

Kagome cursed to herself. She needed to find a village soon, where she could stop and clean off, and pick up some food and a bow and some arrows. _I need some new clothes too,_ she thought, looking down at her dirty, tattered uniform. She continued walking, looking out for signs of human villages.

She was so intensely focused on her search that Kagome didn't notice that the wind had picked up and the birds' singing had ceased. As she passed a particularly large tree, one of its roots snaked up and wrapped itself around her foot.

"What the-" she twisted around and tried to yank her foot free, but it would not budge.

"Oh, come on!" Kagome continued to struggle with the root, to no avail. While the pulled and tugged, she heard a chuckle come from above her. Looking around, she could not see or sense anything. The only thing around her was…_the tree?_

It chuckled again. "Foolish human, my grip is too tight for you to ever escape. I am Kuroki, and this is my domain. With those jewel shards around your neck, I shall become even stronger once I consume you! Ooh, and a miko at that… Yes, I've done well for myself this time."

There was no discernable face on it, and its voice seemed to fill the entire forest as if the tree were an omniscient being. _Damn._ Kagome cursed her bad luck. The root around her ankle was tightening and drawing her closer to the demon tree. A gap near the base of the trunk slowly expanded with every inch that Kagome was brought nearer. She scrambled in the other direction. Chunks of soil were thrown everywhere as Kagome futilely clawed at it. Her arms and shoulders burned with the strain of being stretched in two directions at once. She desperately wished that Inuyasha were there to save her.

Kagome closed her eyes, resigned herself to her fate, and allowed herself to be drawn in by the tree. Kuroki felt her resistance lessen. "Yes, yes…" he chanted.

Just as her left foot was drawn into the gap, Kagome felt herself stop moving and her ankle was free. Kuroki then let out shouts of protest followed by a scream of anguish and the smell of burning wood. Kagome did not look up. Whatever had the ability to dispose of Kuroki must have been a very powerful being. She pressed herself into the ground and hoped whoever it was would just leave her there.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. With Kagome still refusing to open her eyes, the thing that saved her life grabbed her arm and hoisted her up in the air. Before she could fall back down, she felt another arm catch her around her waist. She was rising up in the air again, and rising, and rising, and the fall never came. _What?_

Kagome finally opened her eyes to find herself face down and bent over with an arm at her side hoisting her up. The ground she'd been sprawled upon only moments before was now growing more and more distant as she was lifted into the air on a cloud. _Um…cloud?_

Kagome craned her head to get a good look at the man who'd saved her. He was obviously a youkai, but not the one she expected. His black hair was short, growing to the back of his neck, with bangs that fell to his eyes. He had no markings, and his eyes were the color of molten amber. He was dressed in a suit similar to those of the taijiya, but with spikes around his shoulders and wrists. A wakizashi hung from his left side, and Kagome could feel a katana bouncing against her on his other side.

The two traveled for what seemed like hours until stopping in a clearing. Kagome grunted as she was unceremoniously dropped on the ground. Her savior touched down on the ground next to her, and watched as she attempted to compose herself. His expression still had not changed from the one of bored contempt he'd held throughout their flight. Kagome thought it reminded her of someone.

"Thanks for saving me," she said. He continued to stare, so she fidgeted nervously, tucking her legs beneath her. "Do you have a name?" she asked.

"Yes."

"O…k, then…" she cleared her throat. "What is it?"

"Don't worry about it. Just don't let me find you out here again. There's a reason why humans stick to their villages." He turned and began walking away from her.

"Wait!" Kagome called after him. He stopped, but did not face her. "Yes?"

"Um…" she stood up. "Can you take me somewhere? I'm really unprepared to be out here on my own… Is there a village around here somewhere?"

"Yes, I know of one. If I carry you there it is less than a day from here."

Kagome's face lit up. "Really? That's awesome! Um…so…" she paused, unsure of how to continue.

The stranger got down on one knee. "Get on my back."

Delighted, Kagome scurried on and the stranger took off, leaping from tree to tree much as Inuyasha would but in a much more graceful fashion. The past few days had exhausted her to the point that within ten minutes, she had fallen asleep and the stranger had to grab onto her so that she wouldn't slide off of his back. Once or twice he could've sworn he'd heard her mumble the name _Inuyasha_ but it was faint, even to his youkai ears.

The village was surrounded by a ten-foot wall on all sides. She would not get in unless the gate-keeper allowed her in once she awoke, and the strange youkai did not have time to wait for that. He was already delayed. He knew the villagers inside would take care of her.


End file.
